Concierge service, seasonal rental: what is the difference between these types of activities?

Vacation rentals through platforms such as Airbnb are becoming increasingly common. As a result, more and more people are specializing in this field. However, this activity involves multiple tasks that can be time consuming in the long run. This is why concierge companies thrive, allowing owners to delegate certain tasks. What do you need to know about concierge services? The answers are in this article!

Concierge service, seasonal rental: what are the differences?

A vacation rental is a vacation rental. This can be agreed on an individual basis (for example through specialist rental sites such as Airbnb or Abritel) or through a professional in the industry, such as an estate agency. This activity is not regulated by the Civil Code; the terms of the contract, as well as the duration and price of the lease, are set freely by the two interested parties.

The mission of a Seasonal Rental Specialist is to rent out and manage the vacation rental properties for which he is responsible on behalf of its owners. Thus, he must look for tenants, draw up rental agreements, carry out an inventory of the premises or even carry out an inventory when handing over the keys, and also maintain the property offered for rent. It should have a professional card on which the words “Building and Business Transactions” and “Property Management” can be seen.

Concept from the US: The role of an Airbnb concierge is to manage a vacation rental on a day-to-day basis on behalf of the owner. Indeed, managing a seasonal rental takes time and involvement. Some owners cannot be present at every stage of the lease or do not have the time. That's why they use concierge services to manage rentals.

These companies are often start-ups and offer packages that can be tailored to suit each client's needs. As a result, the company takes over the tasks associated with managing the rental, i.e. reception, cleaning, check-out or rent collection, among other things. The concierge can intervene when tenants arrive, when they leave, and also carry out cleaning. He may be assigned other missions, depending on the packages chosen.

We call these services Airbnb concierge services because of the reputation of the platform, but this applies to all seasonal rentals, no matter what platform we use to rent them.

Regulations

To practice the profession of a real estate agent, you must have a professional card, regardless of whether you are an individual or legal entity, individual entrepreneur or company. This is the Hoguet law of January 2, 1970, as well as the decree of October 17, 2017, regulating the issuance of a professional card.

Therefore, it is necessary to have a professional card when carrying out activities related to:

• Real estate transactions: you must have a professional T-card
• Business funds, real estate: you must have a professional S-card.
• Property and Rental Management: You must have a Property Card G.

It seems necessary for a concierge service to have a professional card to carry out its activities. However, there are times when the concierge service can do without a professional card. Indeed, the distribution of advertising between individuals for a fee without the intervention of the seller is not considered a real estate transaction. This means that since the concierge service does not manage rentals or collect rent, i.e. it is the rental platforms (such as Airbnb or Booking) that collect the rent and not the concierge service, there is no need for the concierge service to have a professional card.

Many concierge services play on this uncertainty in the law to justify their lack of a professional card.

Various types of concierge services

There are two types of concierge service:

Some concierge services will cover the full cost of the rental property. The concierge will take care of everything, you won't have to do anything. From greeting residents to returning keys and cleaning, everything is managed by the concierge.

In this case, the concierge can also manage the publication of the listing and its advertising on Airbnb or another platform. This type of concierge service is the most expensive.

Other concierge services offer so-called a la carte services. This means that these companies can be contacted for a specific type of task, such as key management or cleaning. By using this type of service, owners can continue to take on some of the management of their seasonal rentals.

Services offered by the concierge

The services that a concierge offers are quite varied and will depend on the package you choose. The concierge service may be responsible for:

• Arrival for a seasonal rental or check-in: the concierge company is responsible for meeting tenants and issuing keys. She is also responsible, among other things, for the inventory and presentation of housing.
• Check-out: the company's task is to receive keys and housing, as well as check the rental status.
• Cleaning: This is, among other things, a complete cleaning of the premises, as well as preparing beds for future residents.
• Linen: The concierge can offer laundry services for sheets and towels.
• Other services can be added, such as communicating with travelers or solving everyday problems such as Wi-Fi outages, water damage, etc.

Benefits of concierge service

There are many benefits to using a concierge service. Indeed, Airbnb's concierge service offers owners the opportunity to register rentals with the agency or directly at the rental location to sign contracts or hand over keys. He also assists the tenant during his stay in case any problems arise or if he needs more information. Finally, the concierge also handles on-site inspection, inventory, cleaning, etc.

First of all, it saves time, especially if you rent on several platforms at the same time. You can also benefit from optimizing your ads. This involves creating new advertisements or optimizing existing ones, or even communicating effectively with tenants to get good reviews. So the goal is to highlight the property you are renting. As a result, they can provide advice on furnishing and decorating your home to give it a warm and friendly feel.

The concierge can also prepare a so-called welcome booklet. This is a small book, something like a housing maintenance manual. It contains all the information necessary for the operation of home appliances and/or multimedia, as well as information tools such as the Wi-Fi code. Very popular with renters, but writing to owners can be tedious. That is why concierge services can write it.

Thus, using Airbnb's concierge service allows you to gain certain benefits. In this way, complete management of the rental is carried out instead of the owner. Another benefit is that you can choose which tasks you delegate and which you want to complete. All this saves time on rental management.

Cons of a concierge service

Calling a concierge service can save time, but there are also disadvantages. After all, rental sites note not only the quality of accommodation, but also the reception and communication. Therefore, you should be careful when choosing a concierge service that will listen to your tenants to avoid any unpleasant surprises. Additionally, prices vary depending on the type of property you have. This can quickly become very expensive if your home is large.

In addition, the services offered by the concierge service are standardized. The processes laid down are intended to be used in any lease without regard to its specifics. They will also be less able to accurately answer technical questions about housing because they will have less knowledge of it. Finally, some requests will be more difficult for concierges to handle, especially if problems arise late at night that need to be resolved quickly.